Fire-escape



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISRAEL GRAFUIS, OF ALEXANDRIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 30,219, dated October 2, 1860.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL GRAFUIS, of Alexandria, in the county ofHuntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Portable Fire-Escapes; and Ido hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal verticalsection of my invention, the line w, Fig. 2 indicating the plane ofsection. Fig. 2, is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

The object of my invention is to supersede the use of a strong canvassheet with loops, which is sometimes held under the window at which anyperson is situated by eight or ten persons and the party above leaps outof the window in the middle of the sheet, which catches him uninjured.This mode of escape although numberless experiments have proved it to bea safe and eectual one, is objectionable, because in the confusion andexcitement of a fire it is not always easy to find eight or ten men ofsuiiicient strength to hold on to the canvas. This diihculty I haveavoided and I provide the means to catch persons leaping out of a windowwithout requiring the assistance of more than one or two persons, by myinvention which consists in the employment of a strong sheet of canvas,or india-rubber, cloth, or other suitable material stretched across afolding frame and covered by cushions, in such a manner, that the samewhen placed under a window aiords a safe landing place for personsleaping out.

My invention consists also in securing to the edge of the frame and allaround the same a strong, india-rubber tube to prevent injury in case aperson alights on the frame close to its edges.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to thedrawing.

A, represents a frame of four strong timbers c, b, secured together inthe corners by means of dowels or in any other suitable manner, two ofthe timbers o, are cut through in the middle and the two halves areprovided with handles d, which serve to carry the frame from place toplace and to adjust it on the desired spot, and legs, c, support thewhole at a certain height from the ground. Additional legs may be placedin the center of the timbers b, so as to support more firmly the centerof the frame and to take off the strain from the hinges c, in case aperson leaps down from a window right in the center of the frame; but incase such legs are used they have to be made so that they fold up, andthat they do not interfere with the folding up of the frame A.

Each half of the frame A is covered over by a stout sheet B, of indiarubber or other elastic material, which is firmly secured all around onthe upper sides of the timbers a, and Z9, and a cushion C stued withhair or any other suitable substance is placed on the up 3er surface ofthe sheet B. The softness o the cushion C, together with the elasticityof the sheet serves to break the fall of a person leaping down from awindow and to prevent injury. The middle portion of the sheet B, may bestrengthened by extra b-ands c of some elastic material, and a stouttube D, of india rubber or of some other soft and elastic material issecured all around the edges of the frame A, by means of leather strapsf or by any other suitable means. The object of this tube is to preventpersons rolling down over the edges of the frame.

This apparatus can be made very cheap it is light and easily handled byfour men and it can be carried to the place where it may be neededeither on a separate truck or on the engine or hose cart or on theordinary hook and ladder truck.

That I claim as new and desire to secure by, Letters Patent, as a newarticle of manufacture is- A portable tire escape constructed of afolding frame A, covered by an elastic sheet B, and cushion C, andhaving its edges protected by a stout elastic tube D, and operating inthe manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

ISRAEL GRAFUIS. Witnesses:

WILLIAM CHRISTY, JACOB BAKER.

